Han officials

Chapter 316 New Ways to Play with Ideology

Meanwhile, in the Lumen Mountains.

Wang Can then bid farewell to Pang Degong, Sima Hui, and others with a carefree attitude.

Wang Can smiled dismissively and said:

“Liu Jingsheng is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious. If I don’t leave, he will surely kill me.”

Upon hearing this, Pang Degong couldn't help but smile helplessly.

Indeed, given Sima Hui's reputation in Jingzhou, Liu Biao might not dare to make a move, but he certainly had the guts to kill Wang Can.

Given Liu Biao's magnanimity and character, he has probably already hinted to those around him to take action.

Thinking of the rumors he had recently heard, Pang Degong specifically instructed:
"Take care on your journey. Do not return home today. Set off immediately."

Upon hearing this, Sima Hui nodded slightly and then told him where Zhang Song was staying, as well as revealing Zhang Song's true identity.

Ironically, Zhang Song had been hiding his true identity quite well.

However, he was drawn to the debates in Xiangyang and participated in several public gatherings while staying there.

Among Sima Hui's students and disciples, Yin Mo and Li Ren, both from aristocratic families in Yizhou, recognized him.

When Sima Hui learned of this, he did not make a fuss. Instead, he helped Zhang Song cover it up, for which Zhang Song was very grateful.

Seeing this, Pang Tong, who had been standing silently by the side, finally couldn't help but speak up and express his feelings to Pang Degong.

After all, it wasn't just Wang Can who was curious about Zhixing Academy; Pang Tong also greatly admired that legendary holy land of Confucianism.

In particular, Pang Tong was quite unconvinced by the four men—Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, and Fa Zheng—who asked Wei Zhe for advice in the "Record of Knowledge and Actions," believing that if he were to attend such a grand gathering, he would certainly be no less capable than these four.

Seeing that Pang Tong had made up his mind, Pang Degong sighed softly and stopped trying to persuade him, only remarking with emotion:
"I'm getting old, so I can't go to Yecheng anytime soon."

"If you ever have the opportunity to pay your respects to Lord Wei, please remember to give him our regards."

Sima Hui's mindset was more carefree than Pang Degong's:
"I've heard that Zhixing Academy has two outstanding talents, Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick. Today, as you are about to travel to Ye City, I have some nicknames I can bestow upon you two!"

Sima Hui then looked at Wang Can and teased him with a smile:
"When Zhongxuan presented his three treatises, he immediately silenced the scholars of Xiangyang. He was truly awe-inspiring and domineering."

As the saying goes: When a tiger roars in the mountains, all beasts fall silent.

"In my opinion, Zhongxuan truly deserves the name 'Little Tiger'!"

Pang Degong agreed wholeheartedly, and Wang Can was also quite pleased, so he immediately paid his respects and expressed his gratitude.

Then Sima Hui looked at Pang Tong with a smile and said:

"In ancient times, there was a mythical beast called Kunpeng; it becomes Kun when it enters the water and Peng when it emerges from the water."

"Today, Shiyuan departs from the water towns of Jingzhou, where he will surely undergo the transformation of the Kunpeng and soar into the heavens!"

"Judging from this, it is undoubtedly [Young Peng]!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong immediately bowed to Sima Hui to express his gratitude for his recommendation.

Shortly afterward, as Pang Tong and Wang Can quietly left with Zhang Song, soldiers indeed searched the Wang residence.

Although Liu Biao was furious when he learned that Wang Can had fled to escape punishment, he was mindful of his reputation for being courteous to scholars and did not order a public search and arrest throughout Jingzhou. He could only give up in frustration.

However, he was unaware that Wang Can was not the only member of the Jingzhou study group that went to Ye City this time.

Besides Pang Tong, Ma Kang of the Ma clan, Huan Jie of the Huan clan, Yang Yi of the Yang clan, Xi Zhen of the Xi clan, and Huang Yuan of the Huang clan also quietly left Jingzhou through their own channels to study in Ye City.

Among them, Xi Zhen and Huang Yuan are the most special.

Of the two, the former was from the Xi family of Xiangyang, and had deep roots in Jingzhou.

Compared to the Xi family, the Cai and Kuai families are actually quite shallow in terms of cultural heritage.

It should be noted that Xi Family Pond on the south bank of Xian Mountain in Xiangyang was built by Xi Yu, the Marquis of Xiangyang, during the reign of Emperor Guangwu.

It was from Xi Yu onwards that the Xi family descendants produced officials in every generation, filling the family with officials.

While the Xi family may not have been as prestigious as the Huang family of Jingzhou in terms of official rank, their local roots were unmatched.

There was nothing they could do; his family had a continuous line of officials since Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu), with generations of members serving as officials.

Currently, among the Xi family members serving in various prefectures of Jingzhou are Xi Xun, Xi Zhu, Xi Ai, Xi Wen, Xi Yu, Xi Zhen, Xi Zhong, Xi Long, and Xi Gu, among others, holding positions such as county magistrate, county commandant, registrar, and prefectural official. They are both civil and military officials.

Huang Yuan's situation is different from Xi Zhen's; he comes from the Huang clan of Anlu, Jiangxia.

It was the Jiangxia Huang family, which produced Minister Huang Xiang, Minister Huang Qiong, and Grand Commandant Huang Wan, whose social standing rivaled that of the Yang family of Hongnong and the Yuan family of Runan. Their family was also the most prestigious aristocratic family in Jingzhou.

In fact, Jiangxia Commandery in Jingzhou was in a semi-independent state.

Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, was like a vassal under Liu Biao, possessing great autonomy.

However, Huang Chengyan from Xiangyang belongs to the Huang clan of Nanjun.

Although the Huang clan of Nanjun was not as prosperous as the Huang clan of Jiangxia, the Huang clan of Nanjun had a deeper foundation than the Huang clan of Jiangxia, which only began to rise to prominence in the later period of the dynasty.

Since the Western Han Dynasty, the Huang family of Nanjun has been a prominent family in Jingzhou, with generations holding the rank of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). Sixty years ago, they even produced one of the Three Dukes – Huang Shang, the Minister of Works.

This is why Huang Chengyan, a mere "recluse," was hailed as a "famous scholar of Miannan" and was able to marry into powerful families in the surrounding area, thus influencing the situation in Jingzhou.

In contrast, only General Huang Zhong truly came from humble beginnings. Of course, if we go back five hundred years, they might be from the same family.

After all, the ancient Huang State was located between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. After being destroyed by the Chu State, most of the Huang State nobles were relocated to the Chu region.

For example, Huang Xie, a descendant of the Huang state, later served in the state of Chu and was enfeoffed as Lord Chunshen.

After nearly a thousand years of growth and reproduction, the descendants of the ancient Huang Kingdom in the Chu region are countless.

Otherwise, Liu Biao would not have trusted Huang Zhong as a confidant and entrusted him with command of a large army.

However, even with a trusted confidant like Huang Zhong in command of troops, Liu Biao's control over Jingzhou inevitably declined as the "Record of Knowledge and Actions" spread throughout the region.

The most obvious manifestation of this was that Liu Biao's intelligence network was no longer as sharp as it used to be.

It wasn't difficult to keep the movements of the various families in the state from Liu Biao's sight, but it wasn't so easy to keep them from the Kuai and Cai families.

However, neither Cai Mao nor the brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue tacitly reported this matter to Liu Biao.

This might not be a big deal in other prefectures, but it's a major problem in Jingzhou.

The feat of "single-handedly conquering Jingzhou" sounds legendary.

But what this incident reveals is that Liu Biao did not have a real foothold in Jingzhou.

As the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao needed the consent of the local forces in Jingzhou to implement his policies.

Once the local forces in Jingzhou are no longer willing to act as his henchmen, Liu Biao's power will be greatly diminished.

Even the most basic right to know may have been gradually lost by Liu Biao.

……

The words are divided into two parts.

When Wei Zhe received reports from the Imperial Censorate regarding Jingzhou, Yizhou, and even Yangzhou, he keenly sensed that this was an excellent opportunity.

This means that Wei Zhe's doctrines could infiltrate counties and prefectures that Wei's army could not yet enter.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe immediately summoned Guo Yuan, Xi Zhicai, Zhang Zhao, and Xun You to discuss the matter.

After hearing Wei Zhe's idea, Guo Yuan was the first to nod in agreement:
"Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, conquering cities is the second best; psychological warfare is the best strategy, military warfare is the second best strategy."

"Your Highness's move is in perfect harmony with the principles of military strategy! Excellent!"

Xun You nodded slightly upon hearing this:

“Indeed, if there are people in any prefecture, county or county who study the ‘Record of Knowledge and Action’, then they are all among us.”

"It may not seem particularly remarkable under normal circumstances, but it will be of great use once a large army is on the border!"

Thinking of this, Xun You immediately suggested:

"I've heard that the Mi and Guan families' caravans travel to and from the Central Plains and have quite a connection with Jiangdong. Why don't we have them run a bookstore that specializes in selling books related to the academy?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up, and he added:
"If that's the case, why not simply have the government fund them to provide aid to impoverished scholars in various regions and support their activities?"

"No need to spend too much money, just help them speak out and make their voices heard."

"In this way, we might be able to subdue the enemy without a fight, without even having to send a large army to our borders!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe looked at the southern states on the map and immediately had an idea.

Leaving aside Guanzhong and Liangzhou, only Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou, and Yizhou remain unconquered.

Apart from Jiaozhou, a cultural wasteland, the scholars of the other three of these four prefectures were a considerable force.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Zhe finally had an idea.

He immediately turned to look at Xun You, and said with a smile:
"Gongda, are you confident that you can do what Chen Ping did in the past?"

"If we can find like-minded people in all four southeastern states, I would gladly pay 140,000 gold coins, let alone 40,000."

After all, among Wei Zhe's subordinates, Xun You was the most suitable for this task in terms of family background and talent.

Xun You immediately understood upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, he bowed and said:
"It doesn't need to be 140,000 gold coins, just lend me one person, sir."

"Who?"

"General Wei Muhua of Henghai!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately understood Xun You's plan.

It seems he's trying to make a fool of himself by taking advantage of the abundance of waterways in the south!

Upon realizing this, Wei Zhe immediately waved his hand and signed the transfer order with a smile.

Of course, Wei Zhe was also aware that ideological struggles did not have a decisive effect at the moment.

To take these places, we will eventually have to fight a real battle on the battlefield.

So, after being ordered to leave Ye City, Wei Zhe began preparing for his next plan...

(End of this chapter)